Mike Argento: King's vision still a dream

And now, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's historic "I Have A Dream" speech, here is a version that Dr. King might deliver today.

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I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day, this nation will elect an African-American man as its president and his ascension to the highest office in the land will not result in wingnuts having fits, that they will not question the legitimacy of his election nor his birth.

I have a dream in which that president is treated the same as every president who preceded him and not subjected to unfounded accusations that he is un-American or hates white people or is a communist or a fascist or a socialist.

I have a dream in which he and his family can do something as simple as take a vacation or get a new dog without having the commentators on Fox News go bonkers about how he is wasting money, completely forgetting about previous presidents who did the same things.

I have a dream in which the president can go before Congress and propose something without the leadership of the House of Representatives immediately shooting it down and, instead, voting once again to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

I have a dream in which the president could propose, say, "The National I Love Kittens Act" without having members of Congress responding by appearing on the steps of the Capitol stomping kittens to death.

Yes, I have a dream.

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I have a dream in which an African-American teenager can walk home from a convenience store without attracting the suspicion of an armed mall cop wannabe member of the neighborhood watch. I have a dream in which that teenager's presence would not result in a series of events that would lead to his death.

I have a dream in which African-American teenagers can wear hoodies - in February, when it's raining - without fear that mall cop wannabes would automatically believe they are thugs and up to no good.

I have a dream in which that mall cop wannabe could see an African-American teenager in his neighborhood and not think anything of it and feel no need to follow him or confront him.

I have a dream in which the life of an African-American teenager is not so devalued that a mall cop wannabe can be acquitted by claiming self-defense even though he is the one who provoked the fatal confrontation, even after being told by emergency dispatchers not to.

I have a dream in which African-American teenagers can walk in their neighborhoods without fear of being gunned down by mall cop wannabes, or anyone, for that matter.

Yes, I have a dream.

I have a dream in which police in New York would not have a policy called "stop and frisk" that, more likely than not, targets African-Americans and Hispanics.

I have a dream in which 86 percent of the people stopped by the officers of the NYPD are not African-American or Hispanic and that police would, at least, now and then, stop and frisk white people.

I have a dream in which African-Americans and Hispanics are not suspected of having "committed, is committing, or is about to commit" a crime simply by virtue of their race or ethnicity and are not detained by police for, nine times out of 10, no reason at all.

I have a dream in which the mayor of what's often called the greatest city in the world doesn't blindly defend the practice without knowing any of the facts - for instance, that a mere 2 percent of the African-Americans and Hispanics stopped and frisked were found to be in possession of weapons while 4 percent of the whites stopped and frisked were found to be illegally carrying a firearm.

Yes, I have a dream.

I have a dream in which every time something terrible happens that involves race, all of the powers that be decide it's time to have "a national conversation about race," which often turns out to be as effective as having a conversation with your dog about not chewing up your good shoes.

I have a dream in which African-American men can go shopping without having a clerk follow them around the store or can walk down the street without being a target of suspicion or simply be treated the same as everybody else.

I have a dream in which our schools are well-funded and every person has the opportunity to get a good education and that the barriers to decent jobs and decent homes and decent neighborhoods fall and that all people can live in peace and harmony, celebrating and appreciating our differences instead of using them as wedges to drive us apart.

Yeah, that's the dream.

I also have a dream in which I win the Powerball.

That one ain't happening either.

Mike Argento's column appears Mondays and Fridays in Living and Sundays in Viewpoints. Reach him at mike@ ydr.com or 771-2046. Read more Argento columns at www.ydr.com/mike. Or follow him on Twitter at FnMikeArgento.